And it Starts All Over Again
by Paige2
Summary: Post season 5 "The Gift", Willow travels back in time and changes things drastically.
1. Prologue Part 1

Title:  And it Starts All Over Again  
Author:  Paige  
E-mail:  paige@charming-holly.com  
Disclaimer:  Not mine.  I've heard they belong to some Crackhead named Joss. *whistles innocently*  
Rating:  Um.  I'm going to say high PG-13 to low R for language.    
Summary:  Post "the Gift", Willow goes back in time and things change drastically.  
Distribution:  My fanfic site, and anywhere that wants it as long as you e-mail me to ask.  
Pairings :  Mmmm it'll be a lot.  Willow is quite the player ;)  Primarily I'm going for W/S and W/A but it won't really be W/S and W/A, just mentions, flirtation, etc.  For a little while, at least ;)  
Feedback:  Um, yes?  Please?  *beg*

A/N:  Ok, it begins right after the season 5 finale.  There was no Tara.  Ever.  Sorry.  I love Tara, but she just won't work in this fic.  Not if I want things to go like I want them to.  And since only a few scenes are set in post-season 5, it doesn't really matter that much anyways.

"You have to see her sometime, Red."  

Willow closed her eyes and tried to block Spike's voice.  How many times had they had this argument?  _100?  1,000?  It seems like that much, at least._  

"Spike…"

"You didn't even go to her funeral," he said softly.  "She would have—"

"Wanted me to be there?" Willow finished angrily.  "Well maybe she would have wanted me to be there, to watch her pale, lifeless body be lowered into the ground and dirt be piled on top of herm but she can't tell me what she wants anymore, can she?"

"Love…"

"Don't 'love' me," she inveighed and then instantly blushed.  "I mean—"

"I know what you mean, so please do continue in your verbal battering of me," Spike said rather bored.

Willow sighed and restarted with a gentler tone.  "I don't mean to be like this to you, I just—"

"Miss her."  Willow nodded, fighting back tears.  "I do too."

Willow massaged her temples, trying to relieve herself from the massive headache which had decided to grace her presence.  _It's just my lucky day, _she thought sarcastically.

"Let me take care of that, Red."

"Wha—"  

Suddenly Willow felt Spike's perfect, slightly cold hands rub gently along her forehead.  She shuddered inwardly from his touch, how cool and soothing it was.  _How is it that he knows the way to make me feel 10 times better than I previously felt? _she found herself wondering.  She let a small moan escape as Spike's hands dropped from her head to her shoulders, giving her a full back massage.

"Better?" he asked, finally breaking contact from her.

Willow turned to him slowly and stared into his deep, crystal clear blue eyes.  "Much," she breathed softly.  Their lips hovered a few centimeters apart before Willow quickly whipped around.

"I should—"

"See Buffy?" 

She glared, but found it didn't have the same affect on him when all he could see was her hostile back.

"No, I should go check on Dawn.  I've been down in this murky basement for too long."

Spike looked away from her and nodded, although she couldn't see him.  She continued up the stairs and closed the door.

_Ok… what just happened there? _he wondered, a bit confused, and then shrugged, heading up after her.

Willow's world had been turned upside down the day Buffy died.  Nothing would ever be the same, she knew that the second she saw Buffy's dead body.  Thankfully, her life got order, structure.  It developed into a habitual routine that she and the others would follow everyday.  In the morning, Willow would get up and work for Anya and Giles at the Magic Box.  She had to earn money somehow, after all.  Then she would go over to Spike's crypt around lunch and talk with him while eating.  She knew it was hard for him; after all, he being a vampire meant it was about the middle of the night for him.  Yet he never complained or once asked if they could hang out later in the day.  At 3 she would go home—well it wasn't really home, it was Buffy's house, but it certainly felt more like home than any other place ever had—and she would study her magic.  She'd start dinner at 5 and she, Giles, Anya, Xander, Dawn, and even Spike , would eat dinner.  Willow nearly fainted from shock—well not really, more like an intense, shocked look—the first time Spike ate with them.  After all, he was a vampire and he had no need to eat—at least the food she was serving.  Yet he did anyways.  Ever since Buffy's death he had been friendlier to everyone in the Scooby gang and became one of the family—especially to Willow.

So Willow's life was finally in order.  However, she was not satisfied.  Everyday it felt as if she was just going through the motions, not really leading a satisfactory life.  She hid her feelings well and was able to convince everyone she was moving on and dealing with her grief properly.

Everyone but Spike, that is.

He never mentioned anything, she never mentioned anything.  Unfortunately, they'd both regret their silence on it—and so much more—very shortly.

"Wait, why again do you need to do this?" the Irish half-demon asked.

"We've explained this countless times, Doyle," the head of the council said.  "You are to go back in time and alter the future."

"What I don't understand is why," he complained.  "Buffy was fine as a Slayer—"

"Who got herself killed."

"Look, while I'm incredibly happy you brought me back down here, in solid form, nonetheless, I don't see why.  Won't another Slayer be called?"

"We don't want another slayer," William, the head of the council, said.  "We want Willow.  Her powers have strengthened in ways you could not imagine.  If she's made the slayer then she can be ever more powerful than Buffy ever was."

"Why not just make her the slayer now?"

"Willow can prevent the things that occurred in the past from happening," William explained.  "Now stop asking questions.  This is a direct order and it is in your best interest to follow it.  The first spell we've given you is to travel back.  The second is to prevent Buffy from living when the Master rose.  The third is to make Willow the next slayer."

"But—"

"Stop questioning our authority," William glared.  "You are to do all of this.  When you're done with the spells you must stay there to make sure things go as planned."

Doyle sighed but nodded.  "As you wish."

And then the chanting began.

Spike grabbed Willow's arm and yanked her toward him but she yelped and quickly swept his feet with her leg.  He landed on the ground with an "oomph" and pulled Willow down with him.  He quickly launched himself on top of her and brought his mouth down to her neck.  A split second before his fangs made contact with her neck, she kneed him in the groin and, while he rolled on the ground in pain, she launched herself back upright.  In the blink of an eye, she spin-kicked him, sending him once again to the ground.  Before he could bring her down, she dropped to the ground and straddled him.  Then she lowered the stake and poised it above his heart.

"Poof," she whispered.  

"You're getting better, Red," Spike lauded.  

She smiled and shrugged.  "I suppose."

"Not good enough."  Suddenly, Spike rolled her over until he was on top.  "I win."

Willow pouted and stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly.  He grinned as she threw her arms back and lay down completely.

"Fine, you win, can I go get some water now?" she asked.

"Giving up so quickly?" Spike asked.  "Although, knowing you, you'll knee me again."

Willow blushed as Spike winked.  Yet as much as her cheeks were beginning to match her fiery red hair, she answered, "Only if you want me to," and gave a small wink herself.

Spike let out a deep laugh and grinned even wider.  "Always, pet, always."  His smile faded, though, as he leaned in a bit.  He brushed her hair out of her face and behind her ears.

"Spike," she said quietly, but he put a finger up to her mouth.

"Shhhhhh..."  He brought his lips closer to hers until they were mere centimeters apart.  Yet before could do whatever he was planning, a voice came from the top of the stairs.

"Spike, Willow, you done training?" Xander's voice rang clear.  "We need some help researching a new baddie."  Spike jumped off of Willow and the both blushed furiously, dusting themselves off.

"I-I have to change first, Xander," Willow called up.  "I'll do that and then meet you at the Magic Box."  Xander nodded from the doorway and left.

"Willow—" Spike began.

"I have to get dressed.  You heard Xander," Willow said meekly, heading up.

"Red, don't you think we should—"

"Forget that ever happened?" she asked.  "Yes, I think that'd be a great idea."

"Forget what happened, love?" Spike said with a hint of a smile on his face.  "Because nothing happened.  Unless  you're telling me that if Xander hadn't come right then, we would have ki—"

"Like you said, nothing happened," Willow said, turning to face him.  "So let's just… drop it, ok Spike?"  

Spike opened his mouth to let out a harsh, lengthy speech at her, but before he had the chance, she disappeared.

Literally.

Spike blinked.  "How is it that everytime I am with her, I end up incredibly more confused than before I was with her?"


	2. Prologue Part 2

Willow stared at the familiar musty bookshelves surrounding her.  She breathed in deeply, relishing in the smell of the old, friendly books.  She walked among the bookshelves and brushed her hand across the wall, trying to make sure it was all real.

"Sunnydale High," she said, closing her eyes.  Sunnydale High was gone forever, and yet she was standing right inside it.  _Time travel, _her mind immediately jumped to.  _How else could I be here?  Gotta be time travel._  

"H-hello?  Is someone there?" a voice called out from the front of the room.  Willow smiled.  _I'd recognize that stuffy, British voice anywhere!_  She walked slowly out from behind the shelves to come face to face with Giles.

"Um, may I help you?" he asked, and then squinted at the woman.  She could see his lips forming the name Willow, but he said nothing.

"I think you definitely can, Giles," she said quietly.

"Do I know you?" he asked raising his eyebrows.  Suddenly, Willow saw a spark in his eyes.  "Oh, I do know who you are!"

Willow blinked.  "You… do?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed.  "You're the new slayer!"

Willow blinked again.  "I think I need to sit down."

"All right," Willow said, sipping some tea.  "Care to explain… anything at all?"

Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them.  "There was a slayer called here.  She was strong and just an amazing person.  However… she didn't think about her actions.  She got herself killed."

Willow blanched and gasped.  "Buffy," she whispered.

"Yes, Buffy," Giles said, a few tears forming in his eyes.  "The master killed her.  Ang—one of her… friends… was able to kill the master.  Unfortunately, he couldn't revive Buffy."

_But this is all wrong, _Willow thought frantically, trying to keep her face neutral.  _Angel found Buffy, Xander revived her, and she kicked the Master's ass!_

"We've been waiting for the next slayer," Giles continued.  "I spoke to a man representing the council, though I could barely understand him through his thick Irish accent, and he said that a woman with your physical features was to be the next slayer."

"Well, how do you know it's me?" Willow asked, still utterly confused.

"She's a witch," Giles said.  "And the fact that the questions normal people would ask—things such as 'How can vampires exist?', 'What's a slayer?', 'Who's the master?', etc.—were not asked by you makes me think that you are even more likely to be her."

Willow sighed.  "There are things about me that I cannot—and frankly, will not—explain about myself, things such as how I know about these sorts of things, but that doesn't mean I'm the next slayer."

"There's a test to check if you are," Giles said, his eyes glittering.

"Really?" Willow asked, surprised.  "I never knew of such a thing."

"There should be a large mark on your lower right shoulder," Giles explained.  "There's a mirror in my office," he gestured, "you can check there."

Willow nodded and left to the office.  Slowly, she brought her shirt up until she could see the mark.  She lower her shirt quickly and returned to Giles.

Giles could tell from her expression that she had seen the mark.  "As I said," Giles smiled, "you're the next slayer."  He paused.  "And you would be?"

"Wi—" Willow stopped herself.  "Rose.  Rose Williams."  

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here, Rose?  You had no idea about the slayer part of your life until just now.  What brought you here?"

Willow closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.  "I have no idea."

"I've told the others to meet me here at 6, in about 5 minutes," Giles said to Willow later that day.  

"The others?" Willow asked, pretending to be completely clueless.

"Well Buffy was not alone.  She had… others helping her," Giles explained.

"We're here, Giles!" Xander called, bursting through the library doors.

"What was so important that you had to force us to be here on a Friday night?" Cordelia asked.  "I mean some of us **might** have had dates."  She paused.  "Well Xander and Willow definitely wouldn't have, but I—"

"Yeah Giles," young Willow interrupted.  "What do you want?"

Giles came out with Willow from behind the bookshelves.

"This is the new slayer, Rose," Giles said, gesturing to Willow.  She smiled weakly and waved.

"She looks just like—" Xander whispered quietly.

"Me."

"She hardly looks like you," Cordelia said loudly, rolling her eyes.  "I mean, she has cute, short, bright red hair, you have long, mousy, reddish-brown hair.  You have incredibly awful clothes—sorry Willow, but fuzzy sweaters are **not** in—and she has cool clothes: a bright red tight-fitting tank-top and loose-fitting sweatpants.  You guys look nothing alike, besides your eyes, hair color, facial structure, skin—"

"We get it, Cordelia," Giles interrupted.  "Rose, that tactful girl would be Cordelia," he said, gesturing, "the boy staring at you would be Xander, the young girl that you resemble remarkably would be Willow, and—"

"I would be Angel," Angel finished, entering the room from the back.  "Sorry, I encountered some vampires on the way over here."

"Quite all right Angel.  This is Rose," he said.

"The new slayer," Xander added helpfully, gazing dopily at Willow.

Angel stared at the woman in front of him, examining her from head to toe.  She blushed under his intense gaze and reached out her hand to his.

"Nice to meet you, Angel," she said, shaking his hand.  "And the rest of you also."  She paused.  "Can I have my hand back now, Angel?"

Angel let go of her hand quickly and looked away.  "Sorry, I just—"

"Rose, there's something you need to know about Angel," Giles said softly.  "He's—"

"A vampire?" she asked, looking straight into Angel's eyes.  "Yeah, I know."

Giles blinked.  "Well, yes, but how could you possibly know?"

"I'm the slayer, right?" Willow asked nervously.  "I just… knew."

"Buffy didn't know at first," Angel said softly.

"I'm not Buffy."

"Well, sorry to interrupt this touching moment," Cordelia said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "but can we go now?"

"I think we're done here for now," Giles said.  

"Um… well there is one thing," Willow said.  "I sort of… don't have anywhere to stay."

Giles cleared his throat and took off his glasses, beginning to clean them.  "Well, I suppose—"

"You can stay with me," Angel offered quietly.

Willow ran her options through and saw it as her only choice.  "All right.  I'll find a job here tomorrow so I can get my own place."

"Kitchen's there, bathroom's there, and there's the bedroom.  Just… make yourself at home, I guess.  I'll be sleeping on the couch—"

"No, Angel, don't put yourself out for me," Willow protested.  "I want to disrupt things as little as possible."

"Vampire, remember," Angel reminded her.  "I probably won't sleep.  You can put your things in my room and watch TV now, if you want."

"I don't have any things," she said quietly.  "The trip here was sort of… spur of the moment.  Not much time to pack anything at all."

Angel looked at her strangely for a moment, but then nodded.  "I can buy you somethings tomorrow, then."

"Angel—"

"Really, I don't mind.  You can't live in the same top and sweatpants forever," Angel said.

Willow sighed submissively.  "Fine.  But I will find a way to pay you back eventually."  She turned to Angel's room.  "I'm really wiped from the trip here, I think I'll just go to sleep now," she called over her shoulder. 

Angel nodded as Willow left and tried to keep his mind off the woman he knew would haunt his dreams.

A/N:  Thanks for all the reviews.  This is the last made up chapter, the rest following will be based completely on the episodes, starting with "School Hard".


	3. School Hard Part 1

A/N:  From now on, when I'm talking about young Willow I'll call her Will, when it's older Willow I'll just call her Willow.  That's for me, for the text, not for dialogue.  The characters will of course call them different things.  I'm just doing this so I won't have to go young Willow and Willow.  Too confusing.  So it's Will and Willow.  Aaand the language part of the rating for this fic comes in here.  I know the past few chapters haven't even been PG-13, but it'll come in more throughout the fic.

The first week Willow lived in the past was incredibly lonely.  Sure, she had Xander, Cordelia, herself (though that was still taking an extreme amount of time to get used to), and Angel, but it wasn't the same.  She missed her life, Dawn, older Giles and Xander, and, good god, she even missed Spike.  No, not even missed Spike, **especially **missed Spike.  She hadn't realized how close they had grown in those few months, but they really had.  Her only comfort was she'd see Spike soon enough, on the night of St. Vigeous.  Unfortunately, for the most part that wasn't a comfort, seeing as he would be evil, not recognize her, and try to kill her.

After the first week of feeling absolutely miserable for herself, Willow gained a new outlook on things.  Sure, she was living in a twisted past that was not like she remembered at all, but she could change things.  Already Angel losing his soul was changed, after all, there was no one for him to experience perfect happiness with.  Along with that, Jenny and Kendra's lives would be saved.  There were so many other things, though, that she could change, such as stopping young Willow from making the mistake of kissing Xander, stopping Spike from kidnapping her, on and on the list went.

Her new plan of changing everything made Willow a lot more positive.  Giles hired Willow as his assistant, and even though Snyder refused at first—"A librarian needing an assistant?  For what, helping you sit and relax all day, watching the dust pile on the books?"—Giles eventually made Snyder see his ways.  Along with a little bit of money from Angel, just for starters, she was able to move into a small apartment.  Angel offered to buy her necessary objects (kitchen appliances, television, bookshelves, bed, etc.) and some new clothes, and Willow grudgingly accepted, even though she hated borrowing money from Angel.  Willow knew, however, that her brief period of happiness would not last long.  Sooner or later, the next baddie would come, and she would be expected to take care of it.

"So, are we Bronze-ing it tonight?" Xander asked one day a few weeks after Willow had arrived.

"Yeah, of course, what kind of day would it be without the Bronze?" Cordelia asked, flipping through the pages of a book.

"Oh… I can't," Will said, frowning.

"Why not, Will?" Willow asked.  "It wouldn't be the same if you weren't there."

Will smiled but still looked incredibly unhappy.  "I volunteered to help out with the Parent-Teacher Night," she explained.  "So I have to work on it tonight."

"That's our Will, doing work when she doesn't have to," Xander said, but Willow barely heard him.  

_No, oh no, the night of St. Vigeous!_

"Fuck," she whispered.

"The Night of St. Vigeous," Giles announced as he and Jenny entered the room.

"It's this Saturday," Jenny added.

_No it's not, _Willow remembered.  _Spike got impatient.  Moved it up to Parent-Teacher night.  Well,_ she began to think hopefully, _maybe Spike is different this time!  _She sighed, knowing it was futile.  Spike would come and ruin Parent-Teacher night completely and try to kill her.  

"Vigeous led crusades of vampires through…everywhere and no one survived," Willow finished.  "I know."  At Giles odd look, she added, "I read a lot.  Found it when researching Wicca.  So," she continued.  "someone's going to be leading vampires through Sunnydale and destroying everything in their path."

Giles nodded, affirming her sum of the situation.

"So what do we do?  W-what can we do?" Will asked, biting her lip nervously.

"Prepare," Willow answered simply.  "Research, whittle stakes, you know, the basics."

Yet inside Willow secretly knew that more research and stakes would not be enough to stop Spike.

Willow tossed her keys on the small end table and shut her door.  She draped her coat over the couch and turned to the kitchen to find a vampire standing right next to her.

"Angel!" she scolded, backing away.  "You startled me."

He shrugged and gave a half-smile to her.  "What took you so long at the library?  Is there any new thing we have to fight?"

"Why are you here anyways?" Willow frowned.

Angel blushed slightly and looked away.  "I was… worried about you.  You've been avoiding me."

Willow furrowed her brow.  "I have not!  And anyways," Willow continued, before Angel could say anything, "the night of St. Vigeous is coming this Saturday."

Angel stared at her in shock.  "You're sure?"

Willow nodded her confirmation and added nonchalantly, "And guess who's leading it?"

Angel looked blankly at her.

"Spike."

The mere word sent a shiver through Willow.  "Spike.  How do you know?"

"Trust me," Willow chuckled, "when I say that I know."

"Rose… Spike is going to be hard to go against—"

"Yeah, he's almost as bad as Angelus," Willow informed Angel who raised his eyebrows at his demon half's mention.  "And Angelus never defeated a slayer.  Spike killed the 2 that he's encountered."

"You never cease to amaze me with you knowledge," Angel commented.

Willow flushed.  "Yeah, well, I read a lot."  Willow headed over to her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Angel called after her.

"My room, I need to get changed.  We're going to the Bronze tonight," Willow answered.  "You can come if you want."

Bodies pressed up against each other, music pounding away, the feeling as if he was being suffocated?  "I'll pass."

Willow smiled, knowing that would be his answer.  "All right, I'll see you tomorrow then."

And with that, she shut her door, leaving Angel alone with his thoughts.


End file.
